Vin du Lac Winery
Vin du Lac, which is French for “wine of the lake,” is the creation of Larry Lehmbecker and Michaela (Micki) Markusson. After visiting Paris and the French countryside, and venturing to Lake Chelan innumerable times, they decided to take the plunge and launch Vin du Lac Winery in 1998.
Larry and Micki figured that if you can’t be in Europe, you might as well re-create it, and that’s exactly what they did with the establishment of Vin du Lac. With its eye-pleasing yellows and striped awning, the Vin du Lac tasting room has the look and feel of a French countryside bistro. When the weather’s warm, visitors can enjoy the outdoor patio and order from a menu with a decidedly French and Vietnamese slant. A certain joie de vivre is likely to come over you as you stroll through the surrounding orchards and vineyards—especially if you’re toting a glass of one of Larry’s critically acclaimed reds or whites.
We don’t often go out of our way to comment on wine labels, but with Vin du Lac, we make an exception. Its whimsical labels are the creation of Lisa Pettit, a Seattle-based designer known for her carefree designs that often portray stick figures enjoying life—bicycling, kayaking, and picnicking. As WineTrail enthusiasts know, you can look at an entire wall of wines at the local grocery store, but very few wine bottles stand out. Thanks to Lisa Pettit, that is not the case with Vin du Lac. Her award-winning designs help separate Vin du Lac from the throng.
The old orchard farmhouse that now serves as the winery’s tasting room offers a relaxed space in which to enjoy Vin du Lac’s white, sweet whites, and reds. The names chosen for the wines demonstrate the passion that Larry and Micki have put into each vintage. With names such as “Grisant” (French for “exhilarating”) for their pinot gris, “Les Amis” for their riesling, and “Red Café” for their cabernet sauvignon, it’s clear the couple wants the drinker to experience and remember their wines as a signature moment. Larry is a self-described vigneron, or vine grower, and he excels at blending small lots of hand-picked grapes from different vineyards to meet his tasting standards.
Serene and romantic surroundings, a shimmering lake below you, and great wines to pair with delectable bistro fare: This is Larry Lehmbecker and Michaela Markusson’s vision for celebrating the joy of living.
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Vin du Lac Winery was featured in WineTrails of Washington as part of the Lake Chelan North Shore WineTrail on page 242!
